Chapter 67: Foxy’s New Life
One way or another, Yu Sheng finally understood why Foxy could shoot out her tail like a projectile.
He wasn’t sure how other Demon Foxes in this world functioned, but it was evident that Foxy’s lineage had taken the path of super-beast armament.
Now, the Demon-Fox Maiden was seated across the dining table, clumsily gripping a pair of chopsticks while hastily shoveling food into her mouth. It was nothing but a simple bowl of noodles, with a few greens, some sliced ham, and two fried eggs. Yet Foxy ate as if it were the most exquisite delicacy in the world, her eating manners far from elegant—yet thoroughly immersed in the bliss of a hot meal.
Strictly speaking, this was the first warm meal she’d had in years. Though the biscuits and instant noodles Yu Sheng had previously given her were good, nothing compared to sitting at a safe dining table with a steaming bowl of food before her.
“Take it slow. There’s more in the pot if you’re still hungry,” Yu Sheng said gently, feeling a bit distressed as he watched her finish a bowl in the blink of an eye. He nudged her hand lightly. “You’re holding the chopsticks wrong. Watch me.”
Foxy glanced up from her bowl, eyes following Yu Sheng’s right hand, and while still chewing on a fried egg, she awkwardly adjusted her grip. She was a quick learner.
“Benefactor, am I eating too fast?” After finishing the bowl, Foxy hesitated, glancing at Yu Sheng’s half-finished noodles and the untouched bowl in front of Irene. “I just… feel like if I don’t eat quickly, it might disappear.”
“No worries. You’ll get used to it eventually. Besides, with your physique, eating a lot at once won’t hurt your health,” Yu Sheng chuckled. “If you’re still hungry, I’ll get you another bowl.”
Before Yu Sheng could move, Irene, sitting on the shoe cabinet, interjected. “Let her have mine first.”
The little doll used both hands to push the untouched bowl in front of Foxy.
Foxy thanked her without questioning why a doll who couldn’t eat had a bowl of food in front of her. She just continued eating with the same eager appetite.
After the meal, Yu Sheng noticed that the bowl and chopsticks Foxy used barely needed washing—they were practically spotless, licked so clean they reflected light.
Once the kitchen was tidied up, Yu Sheng changed into his outdoor clothes. He also found a set of his own clothes for Foxy to wear—though they were far from fitting. Yu Sheng was considerably taller than the Demon-Fox Maiden, and no matter how much he adjusted, the clothes hung loosely on her frame.
While sleepwear could get by being a few sizes too big, proper outdoor attire was a different matter. In the end, Yu Sheng had to use several hidden pins and some quick stitching to make the outfit presentable on Foxy. Still, even with all the effort, it was evident that a petite young lady wearing oversized male attire looked somewhat peculiar. Thankfully, Foxy’s captivating face made up for it. A beautiful face could make even the oddest fashion choices seem intentional.
While Yu Sheng busied himself adjusting Foxy’s outfit, Irene remained perched on the cabinet, sitting cross-legged and propping her chin on her hands, watching with keen interest. As Yu Sheng finished, she couldn’t help but grumble, “Foxy, you can retract your ears and tail—why can’t you change your height or your clothes? My outfit just… appears on me. Can’t Demon Foxes do that?”
“The powerful ones can!” Foxy proudly defended her kin. “Father said that the most powerful Demon Foxes can grow as tall as mountains in the blink of an eye! When they run through the mountains and forests, they’re chased by thousands of Peacekeeping Immortals, and capturing one could get you sentenced for over five hundred years… But I can’t! All I can do is retract my ears and tail…”
Irene blinked, her expression somewhat conflicted. “Uh… That doesn’t exactly sound like something to boast about. Though… you’re speaking more fluently now.”
Foxy’s eyes squinted happily. “The more I talk, the more natural it feels.”
Irene glanced at Yu Sheng again, her mind clearly spinning with thoughts. Then, abruptly, she spoke up. “Are you two going out together?”
“Of course,” Yu Sheng nodded. “She doesn’t have clothes or shoes of her own, and it’s not like she can go shopping alone. I’ll go with her.”
Irene propped her chin with both hands, eyes sparkling with mischief. “I want to go too.”
Yu Sheng was taken aback. So that’s what she had been plotting since morning. “You? How would you go out? A sixty-centimeter-tall living doll strutting around? You’d scare half the town!”
“You can carry me,” Irene replied with perfect confidence. “I can disguise myself.”
Yu Sheng hesitated, completely thrown off. “Disguise? How exactly?”
Irene suddenly collapsed downward, her joints slack, her limbs dangling loosely as she lay motionless, eyes wide open in a lifeless state—looking like a doll whose soul had departed. Even the sparkle in her eyes had vanished entirely.
Her voice, however, echoed within the minds of Yu Sheng and Foxy: “See, now doesn’t this look more normal? There are plenty of three-quarter dolls in any doll shop. You could toss me into one of their windows like this, leave me on display for a day, and no one would notice a thing…”
Yu Sheng was left speechless, stunned by Irene’s unexpected creativity. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel more uncomfortable about the whole situation.
“But wouldn’t it look kind of creepy for a grown man like me to be walking around town carrying a three-quarter doll?” he muttered.
In an instant, the sparkle returned to Irene’s eyes, and before Yu Sheng could react, she leapt from the shoe cabinet and pounced onto his head, flailing about furiously.
“You didn’t feel creepy when hauling me around to fight giant monsters in the Otherworld, did you? You didn’t care about that at all! Now you’re making a fuss just because we’re going out the door? Believe it or not, I’ll bite your head so hard you can’t even stick on a bandage!”
Yu Sheng fumbled to pry the agitated doll off his head, finally managing to peel her away and hastily tossed her to the bewildered Foxy standing nearby.
“Alright, alright, I’ll take you out. But she’s holding you,” he said decisively.
Irene, satisfied, instantly calmed down. She didn’t particularly care who carried her as long as she could go outside. Honestly, she wouldn’t even mind being stuffed into a suitcase as long as she could peek out from the zipper to watch the world go by. It had been so, so long since she last saw the outside world.
“But that painting of yours is a bit troublesome,” Yu Sheng frowned, glancing at the picture frame strapped to Irene’s back. It made carrying the doll awkward, forcing Foxy into an uncomfortable posture to avoid blocking her vision.
“It’s conspicuous and, more importantly, a nuisance,” he noted.
“How about I just take it off and carry it separately?” Irene suggested, promptly removing the frame from her back. “As long as it doesn’t go too far from me, it’s fine.”
Without waiting for Yu Sheng’s response, Foxy took the painting frame from Irene and, with a sudden ‘thud,’ revealed a cluster of tails behind her. One of those tails swiftly coiled around the painting and absorbed it completely.
Yu Sheng couldn’t suppress his curiosity anymore. He realized that Foxy’s way of stashing things was different from what he had initially imagined.
“How exactly did you just do that? Is that tail some kind of storage space?” he asked in astonishment.
Foxy blinked and finally unfolded her tails, explaining with a hint of pride, “This one’s for storage. These two are for keeping warm while I sleep. Those over there work like blankets or flexible limbs, great for grabbing things. Aside from the storage one, all the others can be used in combat.”
Yu Sheng’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean they shoot out?”
“Yes.”
“That’s… all a result of ‘Refinement’?”
“Exactly.”
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but marvel at how wondrous the Demon Fox race was—so much more extraordinary than mere human anatomy.
——
Special Affairs Bureau, Second Mobilization Squad.
Song Cheng entered the office twenty minutes later than usual. The moment he settled into his chair, his monitor flickered on, displaying the ever-calm and cold face of Bai Li Qing, Director of the Special Affairs Bureau.
“It seems you’ve been to the ‘Train’ already,” Bai Li Qing’s voice rang out through the speakers, maintaining her usual tranquil tone. “Did something go wrong?”
“Yes and no,” Song Cheng replied, unbothered by the sudden contact, though he felt slightly awkward. “Today’s train carriage structure was more complex than usual, and I ended up missing my stop when I returned to the real world.”
“What about your interaction with Passenger No. 22?” Bai Li Qing inquired directly.
“Director, something feels off,” Song Cheng straightened his posture, leaning forward slightly as he spoke. “Regarding Wutong Road No. 66, the passenger claimed that such a stop doesn’t exist—which, while odd, isn’t entirely implausible. But when I asked about ‘Night Valley’…”
He hesitated, his expression growing solemn. “Passenger No. 22 stated that the stop has been canceled.”
For the first time, Song Cheng saw a hint of genuine surprise on Bai Li Qing’s face, as if her expression, typically frozen in calmness, had just cracked.
“This is the first time such a response has appeared,” Song Cheng continued, carefully observing her reaction. “What are your instructions?”
“Immediately arrange for a Deep Diver to conduct a Deep Dive,” Bai Li Qing ordered without hesitation.